The Bengals are not as frequent opponent for the Texans as some other teams in the AFC, but whenever they meet you can be sure it is going to be a great game. The recent series has been a little one-sided, but as we saw last week, that guarantees no success for future meetings. The Bengals are always a serious contender with Joe Burrow at the helm. They got off to a great start last week and that is where our conversation got started with Anthony Cosenza of Cincy Jungle.
Battle Red Blog: What did
you see in the Bengals week one win that you liked? What concerns came up?
Anthony Cosenza: What the defense showed against a pretty good Buccaneers offense was inspiring. To force four fumbles, collect multiple other pressures and seeing the players swarm to the ball was a sight for sore eyes. It wasn’t a perfect day on that side of the ball, but basically every “new guy” (those brought in over the offseason and/or players who have ascended upwards in roles) had an impact. The offensive line also held up well.
The concerning aspect was on offensive execution. They had to settle for four field goals (including a 56 and 58-yarder), and only won by six points at home while being plus-3 in turnover margin.
BRB: Who are some new faces that will make a big impact on Sunday?
AC: The interior of the defensive line is making things happen on defense. Dexter Lawrence II and Jonathan Allen are still forces, while rookie Cashius Howell is a spark plug in a rotational role on the edge. Safety Bryan Cook came over from the Chiefs this spring and has steadied the secondary.
On offense, keep an eye out for tight end Erick All Jr. and Dohnte Meyers. All has battled injury, but he provides a skill set for the Bengals to run more under center plays, while Meyers is a great training camp story and is budding as a backend receiver corps gadget player. The former CFL wideout had two touches last week (one catch, one rush), and they both converted big first downs.
BRB: Joe Burrow is consistently one of the top QBs in football. Make your best MVP case for him.
AC: There have already been at least a couple of seasons wherein he could/should have been MVP (he won Comeback Player of the Year in those seasons instead). His leadership is palpable, while his ability to both fit footballs into insanely tight windows and to come back from almost any deficit are some of the best in the game. If the Bengals make the playoffs again, he stays healthy, and puts up stats, he should definitely be on the short list.
BRB: Do you have any key concerns about the Texans offense and defense and how will the Bengals attack that?
AC: Tackling was still a little sloppy on defense (but better), so David Montgomery may be a tough ask. Tampa Bay also exploited the middle part of the field in mid-range passing to Chris Godwin, while Bucky Irving had a number of catches in the flats to net good yardage.
On offense, it’s really about creating more explosive plays, and finishing drives with six points instead of three. Ja’Marr Chase was a non-factor last Sunday, and I don’t expect that to happen again this week, but he does have a tough matchup against the Texans’ secondary.
BRB: Fanduel has the Texans as 2.5 point favorites. How do you see the game going on Sunday? Are there any other bets you feel comfortable recommending?
AC: I think later in the week it has hovered more around three points, but I understand it. Houston is good, and not everyone is sold on the Bengals’ moves and their traditional early season struggles.
This is an extremely tough game, and one wherein I had the Bengals taking one of their only losses towards the beginning of the year. I could see either team winning, but the line feels fair. I’m really interested in the over/under, as it seems low for two teams who combined to score 64 points last week.
We want to thank Anthony for taking the time to answer our questions. Keep in mind that if you want up to the minute news and commentary on the Cincinnati Bengals then you can check out his work on Cincy Jungle. We want to wish Anthony and the Bengals the best of luck for the remainder of the season. As usual, we would like that luck to begin on Monday.
